Pick of the Week: The Unwritten: Apocalypse #5
After an unexpectedly long interim, this period piece spy drama featuring a mature female protagonists returns to wrap up its first story arc. Most of this issue is told in flashbacks as we learn more about Velvet's history. Just like the previous issues, the art is amazing and sets the mood perfectly. If you're interested in spy stories at all, this is a solid choice. However, as the plot and storyline is a bit complex, I'm sure it, like many books made these days, would read better as a trade all at once than an issue every month or so. I'm sure the trade collecting these first five issues will be out shortly.
The crew of the submarine Venture are attempting to rescue a British spy captured by Japanese forces in China. Of course things go wrong and the mission gets more and more complicated. Most of the rescue mission takes place at night, so the art in this issue is packed with shadows and dark lines and figures which really make it stand out. Seriously, the art in this comic is like nothing else out there on the stands today. Plus, it's just a good ol' adventure story.
Invincible is a superhero comic, but not one hindered by 70 years of continuity and necessity of maintaining the status quo. So, when characters die, they tend to stay dead. When heroes become villains, redemption is far from inevitable. In the past 110 issues the story and characters have changed quite a bit, and this issue continues those dramatic changes. Anyway, what I'm trying to say is that Invincible doesn't play it safe and the past few issues, the current one included, exemplify that. The mantra for Robert Kirkman's other long running series, The Walking Dead, has been that no one is safe. That can probably be applied to Invincible as well.
This is a Mark Millar book. Usually that can pretty much some up a book. But, as Starlight has shown, sometimes Millar can excel at the quiet, sentimental moments. MPH, however, is more of the brash, loud, and raucous comic that Millar is known for. Millar says he wants to highlight the plight of Detroit in this comic, and I suppose it does that, but not noticeably so. The story follows a low level drug dealer who gets caught, thrown in prison, and comes across a drug which gives him the power of super speed. This could be generic, but the drug dealing protagonist is actually likeable due to his almost annoying optimism. He always looks on the bright side and talks constantly about his dreams and aspirations while even in prison. Another part I really enjoyed was the portrayal of the super speed. The flickering of the florescent lights was quite novel, and, somehow, the artist made it quite easy to discern that the main character was moving around while everyone else was standing still. This might not seem like much, but then you consider that all the panels are static images, it can be rather intriguing. Anyway, those were my rambling thoughts on it. It didn't blow me away, but I will likely pick up the second issue.
Pauly Bruckner is a violent thug and a murderer. But then he was turned into a rabbit and exiled to the idyllic setting of a generic Winnie the Pooh story. So, for the longest time Pauly was a violent, murdering, thug of a rabbit who wanted nothing more than to return to reality and become a man again. After many adventures, Pauly accomplishes his goal and is finally a man. But the world is harsh and unpleasant. So this is the story about how Pauly the human dreams of finding a way to return to the storybook world and be a rabbit again. Does any of that sound weird? Good. But in the world of The Unwritten it makes perfect sense.
Dark Horse is churning out the Star Wars content while they still have the license and I am taking advantage of it. This story is based during (or after?) the Clone Wars series, which I haven't finished. But Maul has returned and leads a criminal syndicate which is at odds with Darth Sidious and the Separatist army. Maul has been captured but his forces embark on rescuing him. As much as Sidious wants his former apprentice eliminated, he uses Maul as a pawn to draw out a witch that he despises even more. I have no idea who this witch is. So how is this comic? I liked it. I'll continue with the story. I'll also try to watch more of the Clone Wars so I have a better understanding of the setting.
Saga returns! But my shop was all out by the time I got there. Sad. But they usually get a reorder in stock within a couple weeks. Or I can get it on ComiXology. Or both!
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